Affinia

Sovereign invested in LB Group in May 2023, identifying a rare opportunity to create a major regional accounting, tax and business advisory platform in a large, fragmented market. At acquisition, LB Group was a high‑performing East of England practice with strong organic growth, a diversified client base and deep expertise across accounting, tax, audit and outsourced finance. Management had long demonstrated ambition to scale the firm further, but required investment, leadership depth and strategic support to accelerate this journey.

Sovereign saw the opportunity to build a scaled, tech‑enabled, multi‑disciplinary accounting group capable of consolidating high‑quality independent practices across the South East, London and beyond. The opportunity was underpinned by sector fundamentals including recurring revenue, stable growth, price resilience, and a large pool of attractive bolt‑on practices with succession needs. In addition, Sovereign had established strong pre-deal relationships, enabling attractive off‑market sourcing and founder alignment.

Created a Top 25 UK accounting firm

14 strategic acquisitions completed

Strengthened leadership team

Expanded service capability

Significant investment in technology and integration

Following our investment, we partnered with the leadership team to launch an ambitious Buy & Build programme that has transformed LB Group into Affinia, a fast‑growing, fully integrated accounting, tax and advisory firm. Since 2023, Affinia has completed 14 strategic acquisitions, bringing together high‑quality practices across London, the South East and the East of England, each adding complementary capabilities and strong local client relationships.

This growth has been supported by significant investment in people, technology and governance. The senior team has been strengthened with the appointments of Group CEO Darren Redmayne, CPOO Vanessa Emens, Group CFO Rob Harden and NED Richard Smith, providing the leadership capacity required for a rapidly scaling business.

In February 2026, Affinia reached a major milestone by announcing its combination with the Brighton, London and Nottingham offices of UHY Hacker Young. The deal creates UHY Affinia, a Top 25 UK accounting firm with £100m in revenue, 1,000 colleagues across 17 offices, and access to the global UHY network. This marks a step‑change in scale and positions the group to support clients locally, nationally and internationally.

Today, Affinia serves more than 7,000 clients, offering integrated services across accounting, tax, audit, corporate finance and outsourced CFO support. With a strong pipeline of opportunities and a proven integration model, the group is well‑placed to continue consolidating a highly fragmented market while maintaining its focus on clients, colleagues and community.